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NEW  YORK,*  &  &  j>  & 


EDITED  BY 

MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN 
ALICE  CARRINGTON  ROYCE 
RUTH  PUTNAM 


©lb  Wells  anb  Mater- 
Courses  of  tbe  Hslanb  of 
Manhattan 

(Seo,  Everett  1bill 


ON  SALE  AT  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S 
SONS  AND  AT  BRENTANO'S 
WHERE  SUBSCRIPTIONS  & 
jfc     $    WILL  BE  RECEIVED 

ISSUED  MONTHLY 


(Sco.  j£.  Maring,  3r, 


PART  I 


price  Gen  Gents 
©ne  2>ollar  a  ^eac 


MISS  SPENCE'S 
Boarding  and  Day  School  for  Girls 


preparatory  BcaDemic,  ano 
Collcge*prcparatore  Goursee 

No  more  than  eight  pupils  constitute  any  class 

6  WEST  48th  STREET,  with  Annex 


MRS.  LESLIE  MORGAN'S 

£        Boarfcina  ant>  £>as  School 
W  for  Girls 

13  and  15  WEST  86th  STREET 
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Primary,  Preparatory,  Academic,  and  Musical 
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35  WEST  9OTH  STREET 

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in  2014 

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3°3 


Half  Moon  Series 

Published  in  the  Interest  of  the  New  York 
City  History  Club. 


Volume  I.    Number  X. 


OLD  WELLS  AND  WATER-COURSES 

OF  THE 

ISLAND  OF  MANHATTAN. 
By  GEO.  EVERETT  HILL  and  GEO.  E.  WARING,  Jr. 
PART  I. 

THE  Reverend  James  Wolley,  Chaplain  of 
the  British  soldiery  in  New  York  under 
Sir  Edmund  Andros, — but  much  better  known 
to  us  in  his  sporting  capacity,  as  hero  of  the 
famous  bear  hunt  in  John  Robinson's  orchard 
on  Maiden  Lane, — published,  when  he  re- 
turned to  England  in  1 68 1 ,  A  Two  Years' 
Journal  of  New  York,  in  which  he  set  forth, 
in  quaintly  pedantic  phrase,  the  charms  of  the 
Island  of  Manhattan.  In  the  estimation  of  this 
clerical  Nimrod,  not  the  least  of  the  blessings 
enjoyed  by  the  desirable  region  wa-s  the  goodly 
provision  under  which  "Nature  kindly  drains 
and  purgeth  it  by  Fontanels  and  Issues  of  run- 

Copyright,  1897,  by  Maud  Wilder  Goodwin. 


c 


3°4 

©15  Wells  anfc  Matet^Courses 

General 
©rtginal 
Uopogras 

ning  waters  in  its  irriguous  Valleys. "  We  read 
with  approval  ;  for  the  springs  and  streams  of 
the  land  of  the  Manhatoes  were  remarkable 
for  their  number,  their  diverse  characteristics 
and — considering  the  limited  drainage  area  of 
each — for  their  size. 

But  we  open  our  eyes  in  mild  astonishment 
when  the  worthy  clergyman  describes  this 
paradise  as  "free  from  those  Annoyances 
which  are  commonly  ascribed  by  naturalists 
for  the  Insalubriety  of  any  Country,  viz.  South 
or  Southeast  Winds,  stagnant  Waters,  low- 
ness  of  Shoars  and  " — but  enough  !  Surely 
the  reverend  gentleman  had  land  to  sell,  pro- 
bably in  Beekman's  Swamp  !  For,  apart  from 
the  remarkable  constancy  which  he  ascribes  to 
the  fickle  breezes  (which  alone  arc  responsible 
for  the  behavior  of  the  notoriously  fickle 
weathercock),  we  know  that  there  was  but 
little  elevated  ground  to  be  found  in  the  ordin- 
ary peregrinations  of  the  citizen  of  that  day, 
and  that  the  shores  were  deeply  indented  with 
frequent  marshy  inlets  and  salt  meadows  ; 
while  a  continuous  swamp  extended  from 
river  to  river,  separating  the  lower  part  of  the 
island  from  the  higher  land  above,  and  spread- 
ing out  on  its  western  edge  into  an  extensive 
morass,  long  famous  for  its  malaria  and  mos- 
ciuitops 

Above  this  swamp  an  irregular  range  of 
sand  hills  marked  the  beginning  of  better 

DURST 


®\b  Wells  anfc  Watercourses 

305 

ground,  well  elevated,  well  drained  and,  for 
the  most  part,  of  fairly  uniform  grade.  Save 
for  an  extensive  marsh  on  the  east  side,  these 
conditions  prevailed  to  the  upper  border  of  the 
lower  third  of  the  island.  Then  the  formation 
gradually  became  rugged  and  irregular,  the 
sandy  and  gravelly  soil  disappearing,  and 
rock  predominating  more  and  more  as  the 
elevation  increased.  Several  streams  of  con- 
siderable size  traversed  this  district,  running 
through  stony  valleys  flanked  by  high  rocky 
hills.  On  the  western  side,  this  bold  forma- 
tion continued  to  the  northerly  boundary  ; 
but  toward  the  east,  at  a  point  distant  from  the 
end  by  about  one  fifth  of  the  total  length  of 
the  island,  the  rugged,  rocky  character  termin- 
ated abruptly,  and  the  fertile  plains  and  mea- 
dows of  Harlem  began. 

Such,  in  brief,  was  the  general  topographical 
condition  of  the  island  when  the  early  Dutch 
colonists  founded  New  Amsterdam. 

The  site  for  the  town  was  not  determined 
without  discussion.  Some  of  the  party  urged 
that  the  settlement  be  made  on  the  main  land, 
just  above  the  Spuyten  Duyvir*"Creek,  osten- 
sibly because  it  was  a  secluded  place,  which 
would  be  likely  to  escape  observation  and  at- 
tack ;  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  they  were 
attracted,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  by  the 
low  fertile  plains,  intersected  with  streams  and 
tidal  inlets,  which  resembled  their  native  land 

Gboice  of 
location 
for  Set* 
tlcment 

306 

©10  TOells  ant>  Watercourses 

H>e  f)eere 
©racbt 

and  which  invited  the  construction  of  canals. 
For  a  Dutchman  without  a  canal  was  like  gin- 
gerbread without  ginger, — a  possibility,  it  is 
true,  but  an  anomaly  ;  a  fit  object  for  pity  or 
contempt,  according  to  circumstances. 

Fortunately  for  their  successors,  an  inlet  of 
the  bay,  which  could  be  made  to  do  duty  as  a 
canal,  extended  inland  for  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  on  the  line  of  the  present  Broad  Street. 
This  ditch  was  the  natural  outlet  for  a  marshy 
section  of  considerable  size  lying  above  what 
soon  came  to  be  known  as  The  Beaver  Path, 
now  Beaver  Street.  A  brook  trickled  through 
this  marsh,  from  the  common  lying  north  of 
it,  called  the  Shaape  Waytie,  or  Sheep  Pasture, 
and  received  the  flow  of  a  small  stream  which 
ran  through  the  Company's  Valley,  as  that 
portion  of  The  Beaver  Path  was  named  which 
lay  between  Heere  Straat  (Broadway)  and  the 
junction  of  these  two  rivulets.  From  the  lat- 
ter point,  the  Heere  Gracht — or  Heere  Graft  as 
it  was  soon  called,  stretched  its  odorous  length 
to  the  bay. 

Around  this  ditch  gathered  much  of  the  so- 
cial and  business  life  of  the  new  community. 
The  first  church,  commenced  in  1633,  was 
erected  within  a  stone's  throw  of  its  banks, 
and  occupied  as  a  place  of  worship  until  Dom- 
inie Bocardus  and  the  after-dinner  subscrio- 
tions  of  the  guests  at  his  stepdaughter's  wed- 
ding, built  the  new  church  within  the  fort. 

©Ifc  TOells  ant)  HHlatet^Gourses 

307 

Just  beside  the  church  was  the  Company's 
bakery  ;  and  just  behind  the  church,  on  Brugh 
Straat,  was  the- Company's  brewery;  while 
half-way  between  the  church  and  the  brewery 
was  the  house  of  the  preacher  himself.  Alas ! 
if  reports  be  true,  the  Dominie's  tastes  and 
habits  coincided  exactly  with  his  geographical 
position. 

Several  foot-bridges  were  built  across  De 
Heere  Graft,  and  a  wider  bridge,  "for  cattell 
and  waggons,"  spanned  it  at  Hoogh  Straat. 
Its  banks  became  the  public  market  of  the 
town.  Several  times  was  it  deepened  and 
otherwise  improved.  In  1657,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  line  the  banks  of  the  ditch  with 
plank,  and  to  assess  the  cost  upon  the  owners 
of  the  abutting  property.  This  called  forth  a 
storm  of  indignation  from  the  luckless  pro- 
prietors, who,  with  the  same  breath,  declared 
that  the  proposed  change  was  useless,  extrava- 
gant, and  undesirable,  and  that  it  would  be 
of  great  benefit  to  the  public  at  large  and 
therefore  should  be  made  at  the  expense  of 
the  town.  Governor  Stuyvesant,  regardless 
of  their  threats  and  petitions,  ordered  the  exe- 
cution of  the  project.  The  work  proceeded 
and  was  finished  in  1659,  at  a  cost  of  about 
one  thousand  dollars.  The  width  of  the 
amended  canal  was  sixteen  feet,  and  the  road- 
way on  each  side  of  it  was  twenty-eight  feet 
wide,  making  the  total  width  seventy-two 

Ube  flew 

Cburcb 
ant>  tbe 
brewers 

3o8 

®l&  TKHells  ant>  MatetXIourses 

JSroal> 
Street 
ant>  tbe 
Canal 

feet,  the  present  average  of  the  street.  Some 
of  the  property-owners  refused  to  pay  their 
assessments,  but  the  testy  old  Governor,  who 
more  than  made  up  in  determination  what  he 
lacked  in  legs,  ordered  the  delinquents  to  be 
locked  up  until  they  should  come  to  his  way 
of  thinking.  Before  nightfall,  all  had  experi- 
enced a  change  of  heart  and  avowed  their 
willingness  to  pay. 

A  similar  improvement  was  made  to  the 
ditch  above  The  Beaver  Path,  which  after- 
wards became  known  as  the  Prince  Graft,  the 
centre  of  the  tanning  and  shoemaking  busi- 
ness. In  1676,  however,  this  industry  re- 
moved to  Maiden  Lane,  and,  a  little  later,  to 
Beekman's  Swamp. 

De  Heere  Graft  had  now  become  a  desirable 
residential  quarter,  and  many  of  the  better 
class  of  citizens  had  made  their  homes  upon 
its  well-paved  banks.  For  some  time,  the  mer- 
chants of  the  town  had  met  at  the  Hoogh  Straat 
bridge  for  the  transaction  of  business,  and  in 
March,  1670,  the  first  New  York  Exchange  was 
established,  which  held  weekly  meetings  on 
Fridays,  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock. 
In  the  winter,  the  boys  of  the  town  improved 
so  well  the  coasting  facilities  afforded  by  the 
hill  from  Broadway  to  the  bridge,  that  the  mer- 
rhnnt<s  wprp  obliged  to  ask  for  protection  and 
Governor  Lovelace  ordered  the  Mayor  to  see 
that  the  annoyance  was  stopped. 

©l&  Mens  anfc  Watercourses 

309 

In  1 67 1,  further  repairs  to  the  big  ditch  were 
made,  mainly  upon  the  lines  adopted  in  1657; 
but  in  1676,  horribile  dictu,  the  edict  went 
forth  that  the  precious  canal  must  be  made 
way  with,  and  the  inhabitants  were  ordered 
to  cover  it  and  fill  it  up  level  with  the  street. 
One  naturally  expects  the  records  to  tell  of 
violent  protest  against  this  assault  upon  ancient 
traditions  ;  but  the  Dutch  spirit  had  declined 
and  we  hear  not  a  murmur  of  remonstrance. 
Indeed,  so  complete  from  the  first  was  the 
submission  to  the  English  rule,  that  within 
three  months  after  the  capitulation  of  Gover- 
nor Stuyvesant,  the  Dutch  magistrates  of  the 
town,  in  a  petition  addressed  to  the  Duke  of 
York,  expressed  great  satisfaction  with  "the 
Hon'ble  Col.  Richard  Nichols,"  and  stated  that 
they  were  "  confident  and  assured  that,  under 
the  wings  of  this  valiant  gentleman,  we  shall 
bloom  and  grow  like  the  cedar  on  Lebanon." 

So  De  Heere  Graft  was  buried  and  its  place 
became  Broad  Street.  At  this  time  the  Wet 
Docks  were  built,  at  the  foot  of  the  street, — 
two  great  basins,  sufficiently  large  to  accom- 
modate a  whole  fleet  of  the  stups  of  that  day, 
and  intended  to  afford  facilities  for  the  rapid 
loading  and  unloading  of  cargoes.  This  im- 
provement stimulated  markedly  the  price  of 

I  Cell    ColciLC    111     HUH    VlL-lllIly,     tlUCl    L>lUUsi,lll  IU 

Broad  Street  even  more  trade  than  it  formerly 
enjoyed. 

IttCVP 

Canal 
Sups 
pressed 

3io 

©It)  Mells  anfc  Watercourses 

Ube 
38roat> 
Street 
Sewer 

Under  the  street,  the  canal,  turned  into  a 
sewer,  still  serves  as  outlet  for  the  drainage 
of  about  thirty-eight  acres  of  closely  built  ter- 
ritory; and  the  extensive  systems  of  piling, 
needed  to  support  heavy  buildings  on  the  site 
of  the  old  swamp,  still  call  to  mind  the  original 
condition  of  the  ground. 

Prior  to  1677,  the  only  public  source  of 
water  supply  was  a  well  and  pump  close  to 
the  gate  of  the  fort.    In  that  year,  however, 
Stephen  Van  Cortlandt  was  appointed  Mayor, 
under  Governor  Andros,  and,  by  his  direction, 
the  first  public  wells  of  the  city  were  dug. 
There  were  six  of  these,  and  each  was  located 
in  the  middle  of  a  street.    Between  this  date 
and  1700,  four  other  public  wells  were  dug, 
similarly  situated,  making  ten  in  all.    Of  these 
wells,  seven  are  known  by  name,  and  the 
sites  of  the  other  three  have  been  established 
beyond  doubt.    They  were  located  thus  : — 
"De  Riemer's  Well,"  in  Whitehall  Street, 
near  Bridge;  "Well  of  William  Cox,"  near 
the  Stadt  Huys,  at  the  head  of  Coenties  Slip; 
"Ten  Eyck  and  Vincent's  Well,"  in  Broad 
Street,  between  Stone  and  South  William; 
"Tunis  De  Kay's  Well,"  in  Broad  Street,  a 
little  above   Beaver;    "Frederick  Wessel's 
Weil  "  in  Wall  Street  west  of  William  *  "Mr 
Rombout's  Well,"  in  Broadway,  near  Ex- 
change Place;  and  the  "Well  of  Suert  01- 

3" 

pherts,"  in  the  same  neighborhood.    Of  the 
three  which  are  not  known  by  name,  two 
were  in  Broad  Street,  near  Exchange  Place, 
and  the  third  was  in  Wall  Street,  between 
Broad  and  New  Streets.     The  water  from 
these  wells  was  brackish  and  the  supply  was 
not  plentiful;  but  they  were  regarded  as  an 
important  addition  to  the  resources  of  the  fire 
department,  and  valued  for  this,  if  for  nothing 
more. 

Many  other  wells  were  dug  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  city  in  after  years,  but  the  records 
concerning  them  are  often  vague  and  con- 
fusing.    We  know  of  one  at  Church  and 
Cedar  Streets,  and  of  another  at  Dey  and 
Greenwich  Streets;  also  of  one  seventy-two 
feet  deep  in  Washington   Market,  which 
yielded  very  poor  water. 

In  a  depression  which  followed  the  line  of 
the  present  Maiden  Lane  from  Nassau  Street 
to  the  East  River,  a  little  stream  of  sparkling 
spring  water  rippled  and  danced  over  a  peb- 
bly bottom.    The  southerly  bank  was  steep, 
but  not  abrupt,  while,  on  the"  north,  a  gentle 
grassy  slope  extended  from  the  water  to  a 
sharper  rise  just  beyond.    This  spot  presented 
such  facilities  for  the  washing  and  bleaching 
of  linen  that  it  became  a  resort  for  laundrv 
women,  and  because  of  this  it  was  first  called 
Maagde  Paetje,  or  Virgins'  Path. 

Ipoetje 
Xaun&r? 

312 

®l&  Wells  ant>  Watercourses 

Ubc 

rut 

At  the  foot  of  this  valley,  the  Brooklyn 
ferry-boats  discharged  their  passengers  and 
cargoes  ;  and  an  enterprising  blacksmith, 
named  Cornelius  Clopper,  established  himself 
on  the  corner  of  Pearl  Street  and  Maiden 
Lane,  where  he  speedily  built  up  a  considera- 
ble business  with  the  Long  Island  farmers  and 
traders.  Before  long  his  sterner  industry 
completely  overshadowed  the  gentler  domes- 
tic toil  of  the  washing  women,  and  the 
Maidens'  Lane  became  the  Smith's  Valley,  or 
Smit's  V'lei.  This  was  afterwards  shortened 
into  The  V'lei,  and  then  corrupted  to  Fly  ;  so 
that  when  the  first  public  market-sheds  were 
erected,  on  land  reclaimed  from  a  little  tract 
of  salt  marsh  at  the  mouth  of  this  stream,  they 
were  popularly  called  the  Fly  Market. 

Close  by  the  ferry  stairs  lived  Philip  Living- 
ston, dealer  in  rum  and  grindstones,  glass  and 
furs,  hardware  and  marble, — an  active  politi- 
cian and  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. 

To  this  valley  the  tan-yards  removed,  when 
they  were  banished  from  the  Prince  Graft,  and 
from  here  they  went  to  Beekman's  Swamp, 
or  to  the  Fresh  Water  Pond.  Gradually  the 
hills  were  levelled  and  the  brook  was  filled. 
Although  the  surface  still  exhibits  a  marked 
denression  there  is  little  to  indicate  the  con- 

Uk/UJ  WjOlUll;     IHV/l  ^    lO     11  lllv     L KJ    11  lvliV_t.l  L\_-      LI  1 V  Lull 

ditions  from  which  Maiden  Lane  received  its 
name. 

®\b  TKHells  anfc  Watercourses 

3*3 

Peck  Slip  marks  the  entrance  to  what  was 
another  marshy  district,  extending  in  the  shape 
of  an  irregular  iozenge  from  the  shore  (then 
at  Water  Street)  to  what  is  now  the  corner  of 
Frankfort  and  North  William  Streets;  and 
with  its  minor  axis  running  from  the  present 
intersection  of  Beekman  and  Gold  Streets  to 
Brooklyn  Bridge  at  Vandewater  Street.  The 
centre  of  this  district,  bounded  now  by  Cliff, 
Frankfort,  and  Gold  Streets,  and  a  southeast- 
erly projection  of  Spruce  Street,  was  so  low 
as  to  be  in  a  state  of  almost  continual  submer- 
sion; while  the  slightly  higher  marshy  shores 
were  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  bram- 
bles, which  gained  for  the  locality  the  name 
of  Kripple-bush,  or  tangled  briers.  The  ear- 
liest buildings  in  the  vicinity  were  the  store- 
houses of  Isaac  Allerton,  merchant,  which,  in 
1 66 1.  stood  on  the  shore  close  by,  when  there 
were  but  twelve  buildings  in  all  outside  of 
the  stockade  on  Wall  Street. 

This  land  was  part  of  a  farm  owned  by 
Thomas  Hall,  who,  in  1670,  sold  it  to  William 
Beekman,  The  new  owner^planted  an  or- 
chard upon  the  hill-side  running  down  to  the 
marshy  valley,  and  in  time  the  latter  became 
known  as  Beekman's  Swamp.  In  1677,  the 
slaughter-houses,  banished  from  the  city  by 
order  of  Governor  Andros  settled  here  ■  and 
here,  a  little  later,  came  the  tanners  from 
Maiden  Lane.    Their  successors  remain  to 

IRrfpples 
busb 

314 

©l£>  KHells  anb  Hmater*Courses 

Ubc 
Swamp 

this  day,  and  the  "Swamp"  is  still  the  centre 
for  the  wholesale  leather  trade  of  the  city. 
These  industries,  naturally,  did  not  tend  to 
make  the  spot  attractive,  and,  although  six 
ship-yards  flourished  near  Peck  Slip  in  1728, 
the  entire  marsh  was  sold  in  1735  for  one 
hundred  pounds.  Slowly  the  tide  of  life  crept 
up  the  eastern  shore,  and,  by  1767,  the  popu- 
lation of  the  district  had  so  increased  that  a 
Lutheran  church  was  built  at  the  head  of  the 
marsh,  on  the  corner  of  Frankfort  and  King 
George  (now  North  William)  Streets.  This 
low  stone  edifice  was  always  known  as  the 
"  Swamp  Church."  Within  its  walls  minister 
and  people  read  the  words  of  the  "voice  cry- 
ing in  the  wilderness":  " Every  valley  shall 
be  exalted  and  every  mountain  and  hill  shall 
be  made  low."  And,  close  on  the  heels  of 
prophecy,  came  a  literal  local  fulfilment  ;  for 
pick  and  shovel  were  soon  assaulting  nature's 
surrounding  earthworks,  and  the  spoils  of 
their  warfare  were  poured  into  the  ooze  of 
the  morass  below.  The  actual  site  of  Mr. 
Beekman's  orchard  is  many  feet  in  the  air 
above  the  Beekman  Street  of  to-day,  and  the 
"tangled  briers"  of  Kripple-bush  lie  deep  be- 
neath the  stones  of  Ferry  Street. 

Tn  anvnnp  but  a  Dutchman — who  alwav^ 
preferred  a  ditch  to  a  lake — there  was  no  more 
beautiful  spot  on  the  lower  island  than  the 

©tf>  TKftells  anfc  Mater^Courses 

315 

site  of  The  Collect,  or  Fresh  Water  Pond,  the 
largest  body  of  water  south  of  the  Harlem 
River.  It  covered  the  territory  now  bounded 
by  Baxter,  White,  Elm,  Duane,  and  Park 
Streets.  This  clear  and  sparkling  pond  was 
fed  by  large  springs  of  great  reputed  purity. 
Its  depth  is  uncertain,  the  records  ranging 
from  forty  to  seventy  feet,  but  it  was  un- 
doubtedly very  deep,  and  was  currently  re- 
ported to  be  bottomless.  Other  stranger 
rumors  were  rife  concerning  it.  It  was  said 
to  be  the  abode  of  hideous  and  terrible  sea- 
monsters,  which  were  seen,  at  intervals,  by 
solitary  individuals,  and  which,  on  one  occa- 
sion, during  the  Revolution,  seized  a  Hessian 
trooper  and  carried  him  off  to  their  subaque- 
ous lair.  Tradition's  younger  and  more  mat- 
ter-of-fact sister,  history,  remarks  that  "  from 
time  to  time  persons  who  had  drunk  too 
deeply  fell  from  its  banks  and  some  of  them 
were  drowned."  Viewed  in  this  side  light, 
it  seems  highly  probable  that  the  tremendous 
monsters  were  of  the  delirium  tremendous 
variety.  ^ 

The  Indians  appreciated  the  natural  advan- 
tages of  the  situation,  and  their  wigwams 
dotted  the  groves  upon  the  shores  of  this  lake 
for  many  years  before  Peter  Minuit  arrived  in 
1626  and  purchased  the  entire  island  at  the 
rate  of  ten  acres  for  a  cent.  They  were  a 
peaceful  agricultural  people,  these  Manhatoes, 

TTbe 
Collect 

316 

Ubc 
toee 

extensive  cultivators  of  peas  and  beans,  corn 
and  pumpkins.    To  them  we  owe  the  know- 
ledge and  name  of  sickquatash,  or  succotash  ; 
and  such  ample  provision  did  they  make  for 
the  preparation  of  this  dainty  that  Hudson,  on 
his  first  visit  to  these  shores,  saw,  at  one  of 
their  villages,  a  quantity  of  corn  and  beans 
"sufficient  to  fill  three  ships."    They  knew 
also  the  value  of  the  oyster.    Often  their  ca- 
noes, laden  with  this  spoil  of  the  bay,  returned 
to  the  lake  through  the  stream  connecting  it 
with  the  North  River,  and  were  beached  upon 
its  western  shore.    Large  quantities  of  these 
oysters  were  preserved,  as  stores  for  the  win- 
ter, by  the  women,  who  opened  the  shells 
and  strung  the  juicy  morsels  on  long  withes, 
to  be  dried  in  the  sun.    So  great  was  this  in- 
dustry that  the  western  shore  became  covered 
with  empty  shells,  which  led  the  Dutch — 
whose  geographical  appellations  were  usually 
descriptive,  rather  than  commemorative — to 
call  the  place  Kalch  Hoek,  or  Shell  Point.  The 
name  of  Collect,  later  applied  to  the  pond  it- 
self, is  probably  a  corruption  of  this  word. 

Near  its  shores,  late  in  the  autumn  of  1626, 
three  negro  servants  of  the  Governor  mur- 
dered and  robbed  a  Weekquaesgeek  Indian, 
who  had  come  from  Westchester  to  sell  beaver 
skins  to  the  Dutch.    The  deed  was  witnessed 
by  an  Indian  boy,  a  nephew  of  the  murdered 
man,  and  long  years  after,  when  the  youth 

nmells  an&  Mater^Courses 

3i7 

had  grown  to  manhood,  he  fulfilled  his  vow 
of  vengeance  and  satisfied  his  ideas  of  justice 
by  murdering  an  inoffensive  trader  not  far 
from  the  scene  of  the  former  tragedy. 

In  1661,  the  meadows  near  the  Fresh  Water, 
which  had  previously  been  used  as  a  common 
for  the  pasturing  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
cattle,  were  fenced  in  and  reserved  for  the  use 
of  the  bovine  aristocracy  of  the  city.  Gabriel 
Carpesy  was  employed  as  herdsman,  and  for 
many  years  he  drove  his  charges  back  and 
forth  between  the  fields  and  the  city.  Like 
his  celestial  namesake,  he  carried  a  trumpet, 
which  he  blew  ' '  in  the  morning  "  at  the  gates 
of  his  clients,  who  were  expected  to  have 
their  cows  in  readiness  to  join  the  herd  ;  and 
in  the  evening,  as  the  procession  returned 
from  the  green  pastures  and  still  waters,  a 
blast  of  the  familiar  horn  announced  to  each 
owner  that  his  particular  Grietje  or  Katrina 
was  at  the  gate,  awaiting  admittance. 

The  pond  was  known  as  a  famous  fishing- 
ground  from  the  first,  and  the  drain  upon  its 
piscatory  resources  became  so  great  that,  in 
1734,  a  law  was  passed  prohibiting  the  use  of  a 
net  in  its  waters,  and  imposing  a  fine  upon  any 
person  catching  fish  "by  any  other  manner 
than  that  of  angling. "  The  marshes  on  the  east 
were  the  home  of  the  sniDe  and  we  are  told  that 
sportsmen  visiting  this  locality  generally  re- 
turned with  "a  large  quantity  of  fly-abouts." 

Cattle, 
fish,  an& 
(Same 

3i8 

©to  TKHells  anfc  Mater^Courses 

Ubc 
little 
Collect 

On  the  hill,  which  rose  to  the  west,  was 
the  negro  burying-ground,  and  at  its  foot, 
close  to  the  water,  criminals  were  publicly 
executed.  Here,  in  1741,  were  hung  twenty 
of  the  actual  or  suspected  participants  in  the 
plotted  uprising  of  the  slaves  and  massacre  of 
the  whites.  The  sloping  hillside  formed  a 
natural  amphitheatre,  where  great  crowds  were 
wont  to  gather  from  time  to  time,  now  to  wit- 
ness a  hanging,  and  again  to  watch  the  skating. 
For  in  winter  the  Collect  made  a  fine  skating- 
park,  and  the  ice  was  thronged  with  the  young 
people  of  the  town.  Here  William  IV.,  the 
"Sailor  King,"  amused  himself  by  throwing 
coins  for  the  skaters  to  chase  ;  and  so  great 
was  his  admiration  of  the  speed  and  dexterity 
exhibited,  that  he  forthwith  put  on  skates 
himself,  and,  after  many  a  royal  tumble,  mas- 
tered the  gentle  art. 

South  of  the  Fresh  Water  Pond,  and  sepa- 
rated from  it  by  a  strip  of  ground  high  enough 
to  be  dry,  lay  a  small  marshy  lake  known  as 
the  Little  Collect.  Just  east  of  this,  at  the 
present  intersection  of  Pearl  and  Park  Streets, 
was  a  large  tan-yard,  and  another  was  located 
on  the  shore  of  the  greater  pond,  where  Worth 
and  Elm  Streets  now  cross.  Upon  the  strip 
of  ground  between  the  two  ponds  stood  the 
City  Magazine,  or  Powder  House.  The  road 
which  led  to  it  from  Broadway  was  called 
Magazine  Street  ;  and  on  the  western  side  of 

<§>tt>  Wells  an&  TKHatetxiourses 

3*9 

Broadway,  directly  opposite  the  head  of  this 
street,  the  city  hospital  was  built  on  a  five- 
acre  lot,  occupying  the  very  summit  of  the 
hill,  and  purchased  from  the  Rutgers  estate. 

In  the  summer  of  1796,  seven  years  before 
Fulton's  first  experiments,  and  eleven  years 
before  the  success  of  the  Clermont,  John  Fitch 
sailed  a  steamboat  upon  the  Collect.  The 
vessel  was  a  ship's  yawl,  eighteen  feet  long 
and  six  feet  beam,  with  square  stern  and  round 
bows,  experimentally  fitted  with  a  screw  pro- 
peller. A  ten-  or  twelve-gallon  iron  pot  served 
for  a  boiler.  The  little  craft  made  the  circuit 
of  the  pond  several  times,  at  the  rate  of  about 
six  miles  an  hour.  Many  spectators  were 
present.  Among  them  were  Nicholas  Roose- 
velt, Chancellor  Livingston,  John  Stevens,  and 
others  who  were  deeply  interested  in  the  pos- 
sibilities of  the  steam-engine.  A  model  of 
Fitch's  boat  is  owned  by  the  New  York  His- 
torical Society,  but  the  original,  with  a  part  of 
its  machinery,  was  abandoned  and  left  upon 
the  shore  of  the  pond.  Piece  by  piece  the 
woodwork  was  carried  off  fox  fuel. 

Between  1786  and  1796,  the  population  of 
the  city  nearly  doubled.  Streets  were  laid  out 
to  Canal  Street,  and  builders  were  busy  even 
farther  north.  Early  in  this  season  of  pros- 
perity a  few  shrewd  individuals  foresaw  that 
the  growth  of  the  city  would  soon  enfold  the 
Collect  and  its  surroundings.    Efforts  were 

3obn 
ffttcb'g 
Steams 

boat 

320 

©lfc>  Wells  ant)  Watercourses 

Scbemee 
of 

develops 
ment 

made  to  form  a  syndicate  to  buy  up  the  land 
around  it,  improve  the  lake,  lay  out  a  park 
upon  its  shores,  and  thus  enhance  the  value 
of  the  remaining  property,  which  was  to  be 
sold  for  building-lots.    But  capitalists  did  not 
take  kindly  to  the  proposition,  considering 
that  the  locality  was  much  too  remote  to  make 
the  enterprise  promising.    The  owners  of  the 
land  also  looked  upon  the  scheme  as  visionary, 
and  gave  no  support  to  the  movement,  which 
was  finally  abandoned.   To-day,  there  are  few 
areas  in  all  Christendom  more  densely  popu- 
lated than  this  "  remote"  region. 

In  1790,  the  city  authorities  took  up  the 
matter,  and  we  find  in  the  records  of  the 
Common  Council  the  following  entry  : 

11  Ordered.    A  Committee  to  cause  a  survey  to  be  made 
of  the  ancient  bounds  of  the  Fresh  Water  Pond  and  report 
the  same  to  the  Board." 

And,  later  : 

"The  Committee  appointed  delivered  a  survey  for  the 
several  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  Fresh  Water,  which  was 
ordered  to  be  filed." 

The  following  year  the  corporation  pur- 
chased the  interests  of  the  heirs  of  Anthony 
Rutgers,  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
sterling. 

In  1793,  the  Council  ordered  another  survey 
of  "the  land  and  meadows  at  and  about  the 

©tf>  Udells  anfc  Mater^Gourses 

321 

Fresh  Water  Pond,  with  the  streets  which 
may  be  necessary  marked  thereon." 

Soon  after  this,  another  plan  for  the  preser- 
vation of  the  Collect  and  the  improvement  of 
the  surrounding  territory  was  proposed.  This 
project  provided  for  the  construction  of  a  navi- 
gable canal  from  the  East  River  to  the  Hudson, 
passing  directly  through  the  pond  and  con- 
verting it  into  an  inland  harbor  or  basin.  The 
idea  met  with  considerable  favor,  but  before 
the  money  needed  for  the  work  had  been 
raised,  the  dumping  of  rubbish  and  offal  into 
the  Collect  had  begun.  The  trees  which  were 
once  its  glory  were  cut  down  for  firewood  ; 
the  beautiful  shores  were  disfigured  with  piles 
of  refuse,  often  of  the  most  objectionable  char- 
acter ;  and  its  clear  waters  became  turbid  and 
offensive.  So  serious  a  nuisance  was  created, 
that,  in  1805,  the  Council  declared  the  condi- 
tion of  the  pond  to  be  ''dangerous  to  the  pub- 
lic health,"  and  ordered  that  it  be  drained  and 
filled  in  with  clean  earth.  The  filling  of  the 
Little  Collect  was  completed  soon,  and  Maga- 
zine Street  was  extended  to  meet  Pearl  Street, 
at  first  as  a  muddy  lane.  Buf  before  long  the 
road  became  so  firm  and  dry  that  houses  were 
erected  on  either  side,  and,  in  1807,  the  Scotch 
Presbyterians  built  their  church  upon  it. 

In  1808,  before  the  filling  in  of  the  large  pond 
was  completed,  an  attempt  was  made  to  ex- 
cavate the  accumulation  of  decomposed  vege- 

Zbc 

fuum 

in  of 
tbe 
Collect 

322 

©lfc>  Udells  ant)  'OJHatet^Gourses 

Cbe 

TKHrecfc 
JBroofc 

table  matter,  resembling  peat,  which  lay  in  a 
thick  bed  over  the  entire  bottom.  This 
material  formed  an  indifferent  fuel  when  dry, 
and  it  was  hoped  that  its  recovery  would 
prove  remunerative  ;  but  after  a  short  trial  the 
project  was  abandoned  and  the  work  of  filling 
in  was  resumed.  Gradually,  in  ever  narrow- 
ing circles,  structures  of  brick  and  mortar  ap- 
peared— unfit  monuments,  on  the  graves  of 
the  pleasant  places  below  ;  and  in  1838,  over 
the  spot  where  the  fish  leaped  and  the  waters 
laughed  beneath  the  bows  of  the  Indian's 
canoe,  there  arose,  in  gloomy  pile,  the 
Halls  of  Justice — The  Tombs,  wherein  Free- 
dom and  Joy,  sacrificed  to  Crime,  are  daily 
buried. 

But  the  obliteration  of  the  Collect  is  not  to 
be  regretted.  In  such  a  location,  the  pond, 
had  it  been  preserved,  would  inevitably  have 
become  a  receptacle  for  filth,  a  cause  of  much 
desultory  disease,  and  a  possible  source  of  de- 
vastating pestilence, — a  greater  menace  to  the 
community  than  the  powder  magazine  which 
formerly  stood  on  the  little  tongue  of  land  jut- 
ting into  its  waters. 

The  eastern  outlet  of  the  Collect  Pond  was 
through  a  small  stream  called  the  Old  Kill  or, 
later,  the  Old  Wreck  Brook,  which  made  its 
way  to  the  East  River,  practically  on  the  line 
of  the  present  Roosevelt  Street,  through  a 

®l&  Udells  an&  Watercourses 

323 

swampy  valley  known  as  Wolfert's  Marsh. 
At  its  mouth  there  stood,  in  1664,  a  mill  which 
was  already  called  "old,"  and  here  in  that 
year,  at  eight  o'clock  on  Monday  morning, 
September  8th,  the  gracious  conqueror,  Nicolls, 
returned  to  the  sore-hearted  Stuyvesant  the 
duly  ratified  copy  of  the  articles  of  capitula- 
tion, which  turned  New  Amsterdam  into  New 
York  without  changing  the  municipal  ma- 
chinery or  infringing  the  rights  of  the  hum- 
blest citizen. 

To  the  south  of  the  valley,  the  ground  rose 
so  abruptly  that  the  Boston  High  Road,  which 
followed  the  line  of  Chatham  Street  (now  Park 
Row),  curved  to  the  east  as  far  as  William 
Street  and  back  again,  to  avoid  the  steep  de- 
scent. 

Close  by  the  brook,  on  the  highway  (near 
the  intersection  of  the  present  Park  Row  and 
Pearl  Street),  was  the  great  spring  called  the 
Tea  Water  Pump.  It  was  undoubtedly  sup- 
plied from  the  same  sources  that  fed  the  Col- 
lect Pond,  and,  until  1840,  its  water  was 
considered  the  best  on  the  island.  In  fact  no 
other  good  water  could  be  had,  save  from  the 
well  at  the  fort  ;  for  the  supply  from  the  pub- 
lic wells  was  so  brackish  that  the  horses  of 
strangers  visiting  the  city  refused  to  drink  of 
it.  As  a  consequence,  the  Tea  Water  was  in 
universal  demand,  and  a  large  number  of 
carts  were  regularly  employed  in  distributing 

Ubc  Uea 
UClater 
pump 

324 

©U>  Mells  ant>  Mateixlourses 

TTbe 
ftiesing 
3Brt&ae 

it,  in  casks,  throughout  the  city.     So  great 
was  this  industry  that,  in  1796,  complaints 
were  made  that  the  water  carts,  awaiting  op- 
portunity to  fill  their  barrels  at  the  pump,  ob- 
structed Chatham  Street  ;  and,  to  remedy  this 
evil,  the  spout  of  the  pump  was  raised  some 
two  feet  and  extended,  so  as  to  discharge  the 
water  at  the  outer  edge  of  the  walk  and  allow 
pedestrians  to  pass  under  it  without  incon- 
venience.   We  are  told  that,  in  1798, 

"the  average  quantity  drawn  daily  from  this  remarkable 
well,  about  20  feet  deep  and  4  feet  in  diameter,  is  1 10 
hogsheads  of  130  gallons  each.    In  some  hot  summer  days, 
216  hogsheads  have  been  drawn  from  it,  and,  what  is  very 
singular,   there  are  never  more  or  less  than  3  feet  of 
water  in  the  well." 

In  an  old  advertisement,  offering  for  lease  a 
house  on  Reade  Street,  the  proximity  of  the 
Tea  Water  Pump  is  emphasized  as  one  of  the 
special  advantages  of  the  premises. 

Passing  this  much  valued  spring,  the  High 
Road  crossed  the  Old  Kill  by  the  famous  Kiss- 
ing Bridge,  an  institution  so  appreciated  by 
the  young  men — and  possibly  by  the  young 
women — of  the  earlier  times,  that  at  several 
other  bridges  on  the  island,  formerly  free,  it 
became  customary  to  collect  toll  in  like  man- 
ner    Rut  this  was  the  first  of  its  kind     Of  it 

nti  i        lj  Li  1  lino    w  rto   l  1 1      iii  t>  l  v_/i    1  ij  rv  1 1  iu.       vy  i  h 

the  Reverend  Mr.  Burnaby,  an  English  clergy- 
man travelling  in  this  country  a  century  and  a 

©l&  Wells  ant)  Watercourses 

325 

half  ago,  wrote  in  his  diary  :  "Just  before 
you  enter  the  town  there  is  a  little  bridge, 
commonly  called  the  Kissing  Bridge,  where 
it  is  customary,  before  passing  beyond,  to 
salute  the  lady  who  is  your  companion." 
Probably  the  worthy  priest,  thirsting  for 
knowledge, — or  something  else, — forced  him- 
self to  conform  to  the  custom,  for  he  naively 
remarks  that  he  found  it  "curious,  yet  not 
displeasing."  We  shall  hear  more  of  these 
amatory  adjuncts  of  the  civilization  of  the  day 
as  we  pursue  our  journey  up  the  island. 

This  bridge  marked  the  end  of  the  town 
from  1755  until  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
and  some  of  the  municipal  ordinances  refer  to 
it  as  a  boundary. 

Just  north  of  the  bridge  the  road  ascended 
another  hill,  so  steep  that  a  circuitous  route 
was  necessary,  and  the  loop  formed  in  the 
effort  to  secure  a  better  grade  still  exists  as 
Chatham  Square.  On  the  hillside,  close  to 
the  road,  stood  Wolfert  Webber's  tavern,  for 
a  long  time  the  farthest  outlying  dwelling  on 
the  eastern  side.  To  its  right  lay  the  sparkling 
waters  of  the  Collect,  and  at  its  foot  the  Old 
Kill  danced  its  way  under  the  Kissing  Bridge 
and  through  the  meadows  of  the  valley  which 
long  bore  the  name  of  the  enterprising  and 
hosDitable  Wolfert  Bevond  it  "stood  the 
windmill,  built  by  one  Hartogvelt,  in  1662, 
for  Jan  DeWitt,  the  miller  ;  and  behind  the 

TOlolfert's 
Waller 

326 

©R>  Wells  an&  Watercourses 

■CQeatens 
Outlet 
of  tbe 
Collect 

mill  arose  the  hills  which  shut  out  the  view 
of  the  Kripple-bush.    It  was  a  fair  prospect, 
but  it  had  its  disadvantages;  for  we  find  that, 
when  Anthony  Rutgers  owned  the  property, 
he  petitioned  the  King  for  a  better  title,  so  that 
he  might  be  able  to  sell  the  land  to  some  one 
who  would  drain  it,  "because  the  inhabitants 
lost  one  third  of  their  time  by  sickness." 

Behind  Wolfert's  tavern,  on  the  west  side 
of  Bowery  Lane  near  the  present  Pell  Street, 
there  stood,  in   1767,  the  small,  two-story 
frame  building  where  Charlotte  Temple  met 
her  tragic  fate. 

The  valley  was  filled  early  in  the  present 
century. 

The  western  outlet  of  the  Collect  was  a 
small  stream  which  left  the  pond  at  its  north- 
ern end  and  flowed,  nearly  on  the  line  of  the 
present  Canal  Street,  to  the  Hudson.    East  of 
the  Church  Street  of  to-day,  its  course  lay 
through  a  low,  but  rather  narrow  marshy 
valley,  between  rolling  land,  topped  here  and 
there  with  conical  sand-hills,  on  the  north, 
and  the  Kalch  Hoek,  which  arose  to  a  con- 
siderable elevation  on  the  south.  Beyond 
this  hill,  and  following  the  curve  of  its  base, 
there  spread  the  broad  pasture  land,  swamps, 

3nH  calf  m3r?hpc  r»f  thf»  I  iQnpnarH  MpjiHow^ 

which  extended  to  the  shore  line  (just  beyond 
Greenwich  Street)  and  from  Duane  Street  on 

©ID  Wells  anfc  HWatetXIourses 

327 

the  south  to  Spring  Street  on  the  north. 
Through  these  meadows  the  stream  from  the 
Collect  flowed  sluggishly,  spreading  out  over 
the  low  land,  but  maintaining  enough  of  a 
channel  to  permit  the  passage  of  small  boats 
from  the  river  to  the  pond.  A  little  brook, 
draining  another  swampy  valley  which  lay  at 
the  foot  of  the  western  slope  of  Kalch  Hoek, 
followed,  substantially,  the  line  of  West 
Broadway  from  Reade  Street,  and  entered 
the  larger  stream  nearly  at  a  right  angle.  On 
the  northern  side  a  tiny  rivulet  trickled  down 
from  a  fine  spring  which  gave  the  name  of 
Spring  Street  to  the  road  which  passed  it, 
leading  to  Broadway. 

In  seasons  of  heavy  rains  almost  the  whole 
district  "was  flooded,  and  in  the  winter  acres 
of  its  surface  were  traversed  by  skaters,  who 
resorted  thither  by  hundreds  when  the  Collect 
had  been  made  unfit  for  this  use.  During  the 
dry  season,  however,  this  region  furnished 
much  valuable  pasture  land.  The  boys  of  the 
period  fished  in  the  creeks,  or,  regardless  of 
brambles,  waded  through  the  swamps  in 
search  of  bull-frogs  and  wafer-snakes — joint 
tenants  with  the  snipe  and  woodcock,  whose 
cousins  inhabited  the  Jersey  shore  ;  while 
venturesome  girls  occasionally  risked  torn 

frnrk<;  and  wpt  fppt  in  crathprino'  hf»rrif*^  nr 
cattails. 

In  its  primitive  condition,  however,  the  val- 

Ube 
Xtepenarb 
flDca&ow* 

328 

©to  XKHells  anfc  TKHatetXIourses 

Bntbonp 
petition 

ley  was  never  particularly  attractive.  The 
greater  part  of  it  was  included  in  the  original 
grant  to  Roelof  Janssen,  which,  after  the  mar- 
riage of  his  widow,  Annetje  Jans,  to  the  Rev- 
erend Everardus  Bogardus,  was  known  as  the 
Dominie's  Bouwerie.  Later,  the  property  was 
swallowed  up  in  the  Duke's  Farm,  which  be- 
came successively  the  King's  Farm,  the 
Queen's  Farm,  and,  finally,  by  the  grant  of 
Queen  Anne,  the  Church  Farm.  At  no  time 
during  all  this  period  was  the  land  a  profitable 
property.  It  was  leased  often  for  merely 
nominal  rentals,  but  one  tenant  after  another 
abandoned  it.  In  its  pestilential  quagmires 
cattle  were  lost  so  often  that  the  Council 
caused  it  to  be  fenced  off ;  and  we  are  told 
that,  where  Grand  and  Greene  Streets  now 
intersect,  a  man,  who  had  mistaken  his  way 
in  the  dark,  walked  into  deep  water  and  was 
drowned.  The  Lutheran  Church  was  offered, 
at  one  time,  a  tract  of  six  acres  near  the  pres- 
ent corner  of  Broadway  and  Canal  Street, 
which  the  Trustees  deemed  "  inexpedient  to 
accept  as  a  gift,  since  the  land  was  not  worth 
fencing  in." 

The  first  noteworthy  attempt  to  improve 
the  meadows  was  made  soon  after  1730, 
when  Anthony  Rutgers,  wishing  to  benefit 

thf  nnhlir  in  orpn^riil  and  him^flf  in  n^rtirnlar 

II 1  L7       Li  L.'  1 1 C    111   gvllvl  i\\  allU    I  1 1 1  1 1 0  v_  1 1    ill    pal  llLUuu  , 

offered  to  clear  and  drain  the  swamps  on  con- 
dition that  the  land  be  given  to  him.  His 

©ID  Wells  anfc  Watercourses 

329 

petition  to  the  King  and  Council  contains  the 
following  description  of  prevailing  condi- 
tions : 

' '  The  said  swamp  is  constantly  filled  with  standing  water, 
for  which  there  is  no  natural  vent,  and  being  covered  with 
bushes  and  small  trees  is  by  the  stagnation  and  rottenness 
of  it  become  exceedingly  dangerous  and  of  fatal  consequence 
to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  north  part  of  the  city  bordering 
near  the  same,  they  being  subject  to  very  many  diseases  and 
distempers,  which  by  all  physicians  and  by  long  experience 
are  imputed  to  the  unwholesome  vapours  arising  thereby  ; 
and  as  the  said  swamp  is  upon  a  level  with  the  waters  of 
Hudson  and  the  South  [East]  rivers,  no  person  has  ever  yet 
attempted  to  clear  the  same,  nor  ever  can  under  a  grant 
thereof  which  is  to  expire  with  the  next  new  Governor  ;  for 
the  expense  of  clearing  the  same  will  be  so  great,  and  the 
length  of  time  in  doing  the  same  such  that  it  never  will  be 
attempted,  but  by  a  grantee  of  the  fee  simple  thereof ;  and 
as  the  same  can  be  of  no  benefit  until  it  is  cleared,  so  no 
person  has  hitherto  accepted  a  grant  of  the  said  land,  but 
the  same  hath  lain  and  still  remains  unimproved  and  uncul- 
tivated, to  the  great  prejudice  and  annoyance  of  the  adjacent 
farms,  particularly  to  a  farm  of  your  petitioner's  adjoining 
thereto,  which  your  petitioner,  after  having  been  at  a  great 
charge  and  expense  in  settling,  cannot  prevail  on  any  tenant 
to  take  the  same,  or  get  any  servants  to  continue  there  for 
any  time  while  the  said  swamp  remains  in  its  present 
state."   

Accompanying  the  petition,  were  opinions 
from  several  physicians,  stating,  in  substance, 
that  the  marshes  were  the  cause  of  much  sick- 
ness, and  that  their  drainage  would  result  in 
great  sanitary  benefit  to  the  community.  The 
Council  granted  his  request  and  gave  him  a 

1Rutger»'e 
petition 
<3rantet> 

330 

®l&  Udells  ani>  TOatet>Courses 

Improves 
ment 
of  tbe 
Canal 

title  to  the  swamp,  covering  about  seventy 
acres,  for  "a  moderate  quit-rent/'  on  condi- 
tion that  he  should  "  clear  and  drain  it  within 
a  year." 

At  this  time  Leonard  Lispenard  was  the 
lessee,  from  Trinity  Parish,  of  that  portion  of 
the  Church  Farm  which  lay  between  the  river 
and  the  wet  valley  now  covered  by  West 
Broadway,  and  extended  from  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Reade  Street  to  the  wide  swamp 
through  which  the  stream  from  the  Collect 
lazily  flowed.  We  can  make  up  our  minds, 
each  to  his  own  liking,  as  to  whether  or  not 
Mr.  Lispenard  foresaw  a  way  in  which  he 
could  secure  permanent  possession  of  this 
property  without  the  annoyance  of  paying  for 
it.  But  this  much  is  certain  :  that,  just  about 
the  time  when  a  considerable  part  of  the  land 
had  been  cleared,  drained,  and  converted  into 
good  pasture,  he  made  himself  very  agreeable 
to  neighbor  Rutgers  and  to  his  pretty  daugh- 
ter, and  finally  married  the  latter.  About 
1750,  the  enterprising  and  industrious  Anthony 
died,  and  the  Meadows  became  the  property 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lispenard,  and  were  known 
thereafter  as  the  Lispenard  Meadows. 

Although  Rutgers's  labors  had  reclaimed  a 
large  part  of  the  wet  territory,  the  low  land 
lying  on  each  side  of  the  stream  from  the  Col- 
lect remained  unimproved  until  1796,  when, 
in  furtherance  of  the  long  discussed  project 

©R>  Wells  anfc  Watercourses 

33i 

for  constructing  a  navigable  canal  from  the 
Hudson  to  the  East  River,  a  committee,  ap- 
pointed by  the- Council,  secured  from  the 
owners  of  the  land  the  right  to  cut  a  channel 
forty  feet  wide,  and  to  lay  out  a  street  thirty 
feet  wide  on  each  side  of  it.  Nothing  further 
was  done  at  this  time.  In  the  city  records  of 
1798  appears  the  following  entry: 

"  A  letter  from  the  Health  Commissioners  read,  represent- 
ing that  the  swamp  or  meadow  between  the  Fresh  Water 
Pond  and  Hudson  River  is  overflowed  with  standing  water, 
and  requires  immediate  measures  for  draining  it.  Ordered 
that  it  be  attended  to." 

When  the  Collect  became  a  dumping- 
ground,  the  projected  canal  was  abandoned  ; 
and  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury the  brook  was  straightened,  deepened 
and  planked,  making  a  channel  about  ten  feet 
wide  in  a  street  one  hundred  feet  in  width. 
About  the  same  time  a  stone  bridge,  with  a 
single  central  arch,  was  built  across  the  stream 
at  Broadway.  This  bridge  was  ten  feet  seven 
inches  above  the  surface  of  the  meadow,  and 
was  approached  by  a  narrow  embankment 
from  either  side.  In  1808,  it  marked  the  city 
boundary,  and  a  milestone  which  stood  at  its 
southern  end  bore  the  legend,  "2  Miles  from 
the  Batterv  "  Near  Church  Street  a  single 
plank,  laid  across  the  canal,  connected  the 
two  ends  of  a  well-beaten  foot-path,  which 

St.  3obn's 
Cbapel 

332 

©ID  TKHells  anfc  Watercourses 

St.  $obn's 
parfe 

was  used  as  a  short  cut  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Greenwich  in  going  to  and  from  the  city.  At 
a  later  date  bridges  were  built  at  Church  Street 
and  at  other  points. 

In  1807,  the  Vestry  of  Trinity  Church  began 
the  erection  of  St.  John's  Chapel,  on  Varick 
Street,  between  Beach  and  Laight.  A  less 
attractive  location  could  hardly  have  been 
found.  It  was  at  the  junction  of  the  West 
Broadway  and  the  Canal  Street  swamps,  and 
the  outlook  was  over  a  dreary  waste  of  rushes 
and  brambles,  unshaded  by  a  single  large 
tree.  The  building  itself  was  of  stone,  a  really 
elegant  structure,  which  cost  about  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars.  Having  completed  the 
chapel,  the  Vestry  of  Trinity  turned  their  at- 
tention to  the  improvement  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  laid  out  as  a  park  the  whole  block 
bounded  by  Varick,  Beach,  Hudson,  and 
Laight  Streets,  which  was  called  Hudson 
Square  or  St.  John's  Park.  It  was  carefully 
graded,  planted,  and  fenced  in;  and  "old 
Cisco,"  a  former  slave,  who  was  made  its 
keeper,  cared  for  it  with  such  fidelity  that  the 
locality  soon  became  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive parts  of  the  city.  Substantial  brick  houses 
arose  around  it,  the  homes  of  many  of  the  best 
citizens,  and  the  value  of  property  in  the  vicin- 
ity rapidly  increased.  Wells  were  dug  and 
pumps  erected  at  the  corners.  At  Laight  and 
Varick  Streets,  the  Presbyterians  built  a  little 

©10  Wells  anfc  Watercourses 

333 

church,  which  appeared  so  plain  and  small 
beside  the  beautiful  stone  pile  that  overshad- 
owed it,  that  k  was  dubbed  ' 'St.  John's 
Kitchen."  Here  the  Reverend  Dr.  Samuel  H. 
Coxe,  father  of  the  late  Bishop  Coxe,  of  Buf- 
falo, thundered  his  anathemas  against  slavery, 
to  the  discomfort  of  several  of  his  most  influ- 
ential parishioners.  The  gates  of  the  Park 
were  kept  locked,  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of 
strangers,  but  each  resident  of  the  square  had 
his  own  key,  and  enjoyed  its  privileges  with 
certainty  that  he  would  meet  no  objectionable 
person  inside  its  limits.  Facing  this  park  lived 
the  families  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  General 
Schuyler  and  General  Morton,  the  Aymars, 
Drakes,  Coits,  Delafields,  and  others  of  equal 
fame;  and  here  lived  many  of  their  descend- 
ants until  the  Hudson  River  Railroad  Company 
tore  down  the  protecting  fence,  invaded  the 
sacred  precincts  with  axe  and  shovel,  and 
blotted  St.  John's  Park  out  of  existence  with 
four  acres  of  freight  station.  Fashion  fled  pre- 
cipitately. Only  John  Ericsson,  the  builder 
of  the  Monitor,  remained.  He  continued  in 
his  old  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
not  very  long  ago. 

Little  by  little,  the  whole  wet  area  of  the 
Lispenard  Meadows  was  drained,  filled  and 
built  upon. 

Many  public  wells  were  dug  in  this  vicinity, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  locate  them.    We  know 

IRow  a 
ffreigbt 
Station 

334 

®lb  TOells  anfc  Matet>Courses 

•fteclamaa 
tton 
of  tbe 
Swamp 

of  one  on  Greenwich  Street,  between  Canal 
and  Watts  Streets,  and  of  another  at  North 
Moore  and  Greenwich  Streets.  A  third,  at 
Church  and  Thomas  Streets,  on  the  slope  of 
the  Kalch  Hoek,  still  exists,  and  is  used  for 
watering  horses  ;  but  the  original  supply  from 
the  soil  has  been  shut  out  and  the  well  con- 
verted into  a  cistern  fed  with  Croton  water. 

The  open  channel  in  Canal  Street  gave 
place  to  a  sewer,  fourteen  feet  wide  and  six 
feet  high,  with  flat  bottom  and  sides  of  stone 
and  with  arch  of  brick,  which  still  carries  a 
copious  flow  of  water  from  the  ancient  springs 
that  fed  the  almost  forgotten  Fresh  Water 
Pond.  The  work  of  filling  the  swamps  and 
raising  the  grade  of  this  district  was  tedious 
and  costly,  for  the  mire  was  so  deep  and  soft 
that  the  heavier  filling  material  sank  to  the 
bottom  as  fast  as  it  was  poured  in.  In  some 
places,  new  ground  to  the  depth  of  forty  feet 
was  made  before  the  surface  became  dry.  In 
sinking  a  well  at  Wooster  and  Grand  Streets, 
this  was  found  to  be  the  thickness  of  the  fill- 
ing at  that  point.  But  eventually  the  brooks 
and  meadows,  and  the  hills  which  bounded 
them,  alike  disappeared.  Occasional  com- 
plaints of  wet  cellars,  and  a  high  death  rate 
from  pulmonary  and  diarrheal  diseases,  alone 
remain  to  recall  the  original  conditions. 

END  OF  PART  I. 

ANCESTRAL  CHARTS 
so  arranged  as  to  show  any  number  of  generations  and  record 
of  ancestral  honors,  heirlooms,  portraits,  coat-armor,  etc. 

This  collection  of  pedigree  forms  has  given  satisfaction  to  numbers  of 
amateur  genealogists,  and  was  principally  arranged  by  Mr.  Eben  Putnam, 
of  Salem,  Mass.,  a  genealogist  of  experience,  compiler  of  the  "  History  of 
the  Putnam  Family, in  England  and  America,  "Military  and  Naval 
Annals  of  Danvers,  Mass.,"  and  various  other  genealogical  works. 

Putnam's  Historical  Magazine 

devoted  to  genealogy,  local  history,  colonial  records,  etc.,  now 
in  its  seventh  year.   $2.00  per  annum.   Sample  copy  10  cents. 
Address  Eben  Putnam,  Box  5,  Danvers,  Mass. 
Genealogical  Researches  conducted  in  England  and  America. 
Ancestral  Charts  may  be  seen  at  G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons,  or  at  Brentano's, 
or  may  be  had  of  Mr.  Putnam.   Price,  $1.50. 

galf  SJXoon  Retries 

Among  the  subjects  of  the  papers  will  be  the  following  : 
Now  ready,  Sept.  X,  1897. 

i.—Zbc  Staot  Dugs  of  IRew  Smsteroam. 

By  Alice  Morse  Earle. 
II.— king's  College.    By  John  Pine. 

III.  —  Bttnetje  $mfB  jfarm.    By  Ruth  Putnam. 

IV.  — lUall  Street*    By  Oswald  Garrison  Villard. 

v.— Governor's  Hslano. 

By  Blanche  Wilder  Bellamy. 

vi.— Gbe  fourteen  dfoUes  TRouno. 

By  Alfred  Bishop  Mason  and  Mary  Murdoch 
Mason. 

vii.— Zbc  Cit^  Gbest  of  IMew  Bmsteroam. 

By  E.  Dana  Durand. 
VIII. — Jfort  BniSterDam.    By  Maud  Wilder  Goodwin. 
IX. — ©lo  (5reenWiCb»    By  Elizabeth  Bisland. 

x.  and  xi.— ©id  mclle  ano  THnatersdourses. 

Parts  I.  and  II.    By  George  E.  Waring,  Jr. 

TO  BE  FOLLOWED  BY  : 

Gbe  JBowerg. 

By  Edward   Ringwood   Hewitt  and  Mary 
Ashley  Hewitt. 


Retard  <k     4*     <k  ~k 

is  a  twenty-page  monthly  published  by  the 
Hampton  Institute  in  Virginia  in  the  interest 
of  the  two  races  it  represents — the  Negro  and 
the  Indian. 

It  is  a  record  of  the  practical  working  out  of 
the  race  problems,  not  only  at  Hampton  but  at 
Tuskegee  and  other  schools,  and  contains  much 
interesting  matter  from  graduates  in  the  field 
and  from  prominent  students  and  writers 
representing  the  best  thought  of  the  country. 

A  few  pages  are  devoted  each  month  to  the 
local  affairs  of  the  School,  to  letters  from 
Negroes  and  Indians  in  the  South  and  West, 
to  folk-lore,  and  to  reviews  of  books  bearing 
upon  race  problems. 

Subscription,  $1.00  a  year.  This  may  be 
sent  to 

Rev.  H.  B.  FRISSELL. 

Hampton,  Va. 


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343  MADISON  AVENUE 


COURSES  IN  AMERICAN  HISTORY 


For  Undergraduates*  General  course,  read- 
ing, recitations  and  lectures. — Three  hours  a  week: 
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For  Graduates.  Political  History  of  the 
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THE  UNIVERSITY  SERIES 


STORIES  OF  COLLEGE  LIFE 

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lustrated,  i2mo  $1  00 

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— London  Athenceum. 

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at  the  College  of  New  Jersey.    By  James  Barnes. 

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enough  of  fiction  in  the  story  to  give  true  liveliness  to  its  fact.  .  . 
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NEW  YORK.  LONDON. 


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THE  HALF-MOON  SERIES 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"  The  scheme  is  an  admirable  one  and  should  receive  the 
hearty  support  of  all  who  are  dwellers  in  this  great  city." — 
The  Examiner,  N.  Y.  i_ 

"It  is  a  pity  that  every  large  community  and  every  historical 
neighborhood  cannot  have  such  a  series  of  authentic  texts 
covering  local  history." — Illustrated  Buffalo  Express. 

"  The  enterprise  is  a  most  laudable  one  and  the  papers  are 
anticipated  with  a  great  deal  of  interest." — New  York  Home 
Journal. 

"A  unique  series  of  papers  on  historic  New'York." — Edu- 
cational Remew. 

"We  have  received  the*  first  of  the  Half-Moon  papers. 
.  .  .  .  It  is  on  '  The  Stadt-Huys  of  New  Amsterdam,' 
by  Alice  Morse  Earle,  and  if  all  the  succeeding  papers  are  as 
good  the  public  will  be  well  satisfied." — New  York  Tribune. 

**  If  all  the  numbers  of  the  Half-Moon  Series  are  as  inter- 
esting as  the  sketch  of  '  King's  College,'  it  is  bound  to  be 
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the  cause  which  it  seeks  to  advance." — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"  If  every  person  in  the  United  States  who  imagines  that  he 
is  an  heir  to  the  Anneke  Jans-Bogardus  estate  would  invest  a 
nickel  in  the  third  number  of  the  Half-Moon  series  of 
historical  booklets  published  by  Putnam's  Sons,  it  would  not 
only  settle  that  question  of  inheritance  at  once  and  forever, 
but  it  would  insure  an  enormous  circulation  to  one  of  the 
most  valuable  of  historical  studies  of  early  life  on  Manhattan 
Island.  Ruth  Putnam  has  made  a  book  quite  as  interesting 
to  the  general  public  as  to  the  descendants  of  the  fecund 
Anneke  Jans." — New  York  World. 

"  How  Wall  Street  began  its  career  in  the  shelter  of  Peter 
Stuyvesant's  barricade  ;  how  it  was  surveyed  and  curbed  and 
diminished  in  its  breadth  by  greedy  land  owners  ;  how  it 
came  to  be  a  dwelling  street,  and  a  political  street,  and  a 
financial  street  ;  .  .  .  how  it  was  dignified  by  the  meet- 
ing of  Congress  and  the  inauguration  of  Washington — all 
these  matters  are  reviewed  in  Mr.  Villard's  pamphletras  well 
as  many  others  that  may  interest  the  curious  reader  just  as 
much." — New  York  Sun. 

"  Mrs.  Bellamy's  History  of  Governor's  Island  is  evidently 
compiled  with  care,  is  brightly  written,  and  is  a  pamphlet  of 
genuine  value  to  the  historical  student."—  Buffalo  Express. 


